Song · Joy Division
“Isolation” by Joy Division
From the album Closer (1980)
“Isolation” by Joy Division appears on 8 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 1981 and 2021. It was first released in 1980 on the album Closer. Its best result is #38 on the John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1982). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,434 alternative song of all time.
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"Isolation" is the odd one out on Closer, the second and final studio album Joy Division released in 1980. Stephen Morris builds it on an electronic drum pattern, Bernard Sumner lays a skinny, treble-heavy keyboard line over the top, and Ian Curtis sings into the machinery like a man talking to himself in an empty flat.
Halfway through, a surge of drums and hi-hat comes rushing in and shoves the track toward a dramatic finish. It's new wave with the lights still low, synth-pop edging into the room, and for a couple of minutes the album's post-punk gloom lifts. Martin Hannett produced it with the band. All four members share the songwriting credit.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 44 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1981) | 50 |
| 1982 | 38 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1982) | 50 |
| 1991 | 705 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1999 | 1842 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1843 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1845 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 651 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 71 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
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